Ancestry Day - San Francisco

Ancestry Day - San Francisco



Woooohoooooo !!!!! Totally jazzed over here!!!

Monthly back ups ---

This is a blog about activities I perform to write Our Family History. Besides the wonderful trips and great finds. There are also very important mundane tasks that must be adhered to rather strictly. Besides organization, sourcing, another mundane task in genealogy is backing up our data. Backing up is especially important if you are using computers as one of the primary storage's of data.

This back up procedure was always performed the first day of the month.

BIG KAHUNA Thomas MacEntee

usually sends out reminders and has kind of declared the first day of the month as back-up day.

But because of the complexities that I have added to the process and the uncertainty that I could work uninterrupted on the first day of the month. I try to start a few days ahead preparing for my back up.

My back up usually starts with Ancestry. com --- I use Ancestry.com as a dumping ground. Because it is a dumping ground my ancestry HAYLEY tree is invitation only. Not because I do not want to share. I just do not want to share unverified, incorrect, bogus data.

******I have approximately 20 trees on ancestry---- several are pristine trees of limited data like the Needhams from 1640 Jamestown to 1850 Lake county Tenn. and the Moorings from 1640 Jamestown to 1850 Lake county Tenn. and the Hayleys from 1640 Jamestown to 1850 Tenn. Or clients" trees. These trees are usually not updated each month unless I have done work on them.

From ancestry. com I create a gedcom and upload my modified trees into myheritage.com --- saving a copy of my gedcom to my c: drive.

At this point I open and review all my updated trees on myheritage. I then run a problem report on myheritage. Depending on the issues found in the problem report, I will spend time reviewing and correcting the issues.

I usually have a page of siblings having the same name ---- Living Smith etc.

Myheritage then has a link to Family Tree maker for updating FTM. I run this link.

Once I am pleased with my all inclusive tree HAYLEY. I create another gedcom in myheritage saving the gedcom to my c drive with program name and date. I then upload the tree to Rootmagic. :-) Rootsmagic and all it's components is my go-to program for FUN with data.

In Rootsmagic: I run another problem report. Checking my criteria and parameters I verify myheritage and rootsmagic reports agree. If not I review the inconsistencies and make note. I print the problem reports and add all notes. This may sound Silly and unnecessary --- but I have been known to get caught up in life's drama and forget my "oh I need not note that, I surely will always remember that" Two years of unraveled data will tax your brain to remember.

OK my data has been reviewed on ancestry, myheritage, family tree builder, and rootsmagic. I do use Legacy or stand alone programs on occasion.

Next using rootsmagic I run a macro I have built to update my family groups. Now save rootsmagic and run the

rootsmagic on the go

program. A copy of each family group is then also saved to my c: drive. It was Shirley Becker that did an excellent presentation on organizing your computer files that demonstrated a very useful tool for archiving family groups. A copy of her presentation is available on the CVGS official web site.

Basically Shirley uses folders by Surnames and documents using man+woman name and dates ---
A photo of Shirley follows --- Shirley enjoying a holiday luncheon with fellow genealogist.



I save each and every family group to my c drive. (I have a macro written for this). Depending on the work accomplished that particular month, new family groups may appear. I immediately create c-drive files for these of these new family groups. Saving them under the correct Surname by husband and wife names and dates.

I usually do not update all my other reports and maps and etc at this time. My reasoning for not updating these files is because I wait until I actually want to use the data and then will update and save with current date when and if I use the file. Example Mom's sweet 16 my appear as momssweet16_22072010 and a new revision will be saved as momssweet16_01082011. previous revisions of all momssweet16s are saved. The revision control is the date.

So now I back up my data---- my pc automatically saves all files to my external hard drive. All c drive data (gedcom's, family group sheets, problem reports, pedigree charts, journals, excel resource logs, places and resource reports etc. are then updated onto three mobile flash drives. I retain the previous month's data and add the new month's files.

I send one flash drive out of state. One flash drive is added to my laptop carrying case. One flash drive is placed near my home desk pc.

This may seem complicated at first. This is a system that has been modified over the years. Maybe I will review this process in a year and see what I have modified since then.

I have a house full of prince and princess so while they sleep --- I need to back up quickly or my mind will be fried!! So until next blog-----Happy Back up day!!!

New Must Have for all your Genealogist Friends

New Must Have for all your Genealogist Friends---- I know that was not a fair title for this blog. But I am trying to get new followers. My Blogs include:

REED_COOK_DEARMAN– last published post on Jul 11, 2011

Genealogy is Ruthless without Me

– last published post on Jul 2, 2011 –

Ruth Truths and Ruthisms–

Hayley

– last published on Oct 22, 2010 –

5 Himan Brothers and Little Sister Mary

– last published on Aug 27, 2010 –

The Healing of America

Until this first week of July 2011, I have been away from my genealogy work for quite awhile. In July 2011, My Aunt Helen had a brickwall coming down. This break through is in most part because of the hard work of our Aunt Helen Roberta Reed---my mother's youngest sister. So with Aunt Helen's research findings, I have been busy validating and verifing her data. This is our usual genealogy study method. She and I verify and validate each other is our normal genealogical course. Then when we think we are very sure of our data. Aunt Helen will present it to TEMPLE.

During this time of verification and validation I am like a genealogy zombie. I become so involved and spend such long genealogical days in a kind of genealogical stupor. I have not spent such long genealogical days ----- not since last summer.

I have been sooooo focused on my genealogical data this last week that I burnt up two sauce pans trying to cook Tony's dinner this week.

My (Hawaiian born) husband is happy with his dinner as long as rice is served. So since I have been working so hard on genealogical work twice while attempting to make rice; I have burnt up a saucepan. I usually scrap the rice off the top and serve with a great sauce. Usually Tony will not realize my mistake immediately. I can serve dinner with little notice of the burnt pan. But the scrubbing the burnt rice off the bottom of the saucepan renders the sauce pan forever with a dark ring around the bottom inside rim of the pan. (sigh) As long as I do all the cooking and pan washing and putting away--I guess I could get away with it --- at least for a little while.

But today I realized I must purchase a rice cooker.

I have not had to use a rice cooker since my very early days of marriage. I pride myself in being able to cook a perfect pan of rice. I correctly wash the rice the exact enough times depending on the rice dish to be served. With less rinsing for a milky rinse for sticky rice desired for stuffing nokis and many rice desserts to the crisp clean water rice rinse for steamed rice dishes for beef sauces.

But alas my rice has been suffering all last week --- So I have served potatoes or crunchy undercooked rice indicating the rice cooked too hot and not covered at a lowered heat after that first initial boil.

Or split rice turning into rice mush because the rice cooked too long -----

so until I can better watch my rice and pay attention to my husband's dinner, I am going to use a rice cooker with no excuses---no regrets. The rice cooker will cook rice perfect every time* and keep it warm and ready to serve until my husband wants his evening meal. The problem will be that the Every time* is dependent on remembering to put in the correct amount of rice, water and salt substitute and turn it on!!! ******* So for every genealogist that must and wants to cook -----

The MUST HAVE gift for your genealogist is a rice cooker.

I guess the slow cooker would be a close runner up second "must-have" gift. lol

SNGF with Randy Seaver

Randy Seaver each Saturday will post a "fun" activity for geniebloggers to respond. These Saturday activities are usually "sage genie work to be done presented in a fun way." The prompt allows blogger to think they are "playing" while they are really working non-stop for 12-16 hours a day.

His "fun" usually gives us ways to:
validate and verify our databases,
Expose inaccuracy and
check facts,
learn new software or
new ways to use our software.

I do not think it is happenchance that Randy would be asking for our "bucket list" exactly half way through the year. Watch around Christmas He will have a "tool" we wish to receive, and the New Year for Genie New Year resolutions.

So half way through the year, Randy is asking us to review our goals and "things to-do" Very sneaky, Randy!!!

Are you ready for Saturday Night, and more Genealogy Fun?? I hope so!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

Knowing that a "Bucket List" is a wish list of things to do before death:

To prepare for this excercise I revisited a post I made to this same BLOGSPOT on April 13, 2010. Wow -- That particular day in April 2010 I was especially
energetic and optimistic.

My BUCKET LIST:

Visit the Deacon Chapin statue in Springfield, Mass.

Secure my data for a future genealogist in our family future.

Record and document enough data that the "stories" can stand the test of time and not be carelessly revised.

Follow this journey of our story as far as I can so the next family genealogist can be guided by my findings to find even more. I follow a legacy of family historians.


I never met all of our family historians....... but I do know and love all of them.

Genealogy GOLD pre-teen interviews grandmother

Genealogy GOLD pre-teen interview of grandmother shows the way to unearthing family tradition carelessness!


This blog is partially ghost written by a pre-teen. Her parents guard her internet-use very carefully. She is not able to post photos, address, or private details. She is on facebook but all "friends" must be approved by her parents.

Yet in the interest of genealogy, we have been granted permission to transcribe her interview of her grandmother --- therefore it is with great pride we introduce A young person's genealogy interview on Genealogy Is Ruthless Without Me.

Enjoy!

Thank you Grandmother, for helping me with this school assignment. I have some questions here that I would like to ask you.

Where did your ancestors come from?

Originally many of my ancestors came from France and Germany pre-1400
Then many of my ancestors had migrated to the United Kingdom pre-1600
But nearly all my ancestors were here on the east coast of the United States by 1776.

Do you know the origin of your family name?

No, not yet.

Tell about any ancestors that you know about --- names. dates, other important historical details-and any stories about them.

I have a lot of information on several of your ancestors. Would it be okay if I just print out the stories I have of them and we could start a binder of ancestor stories?

okay

Who is the oldest person you can remember in your family as a child?

Armenita Clementine Chapin Reed

What do you remember about them?

She was very old by the time I remember her. She had very long hair always braided and circled around her head. I remember one day seeing her with her hair down and it went past her waist. My mother loved her dearly.

Are there any family heirlooms that have been passed from one generation to another? And do you know where they are now?

Well the Family Bibles are very precious to our family. I believe Aunt Doris may have the Hayley-Dikes Bible.
Aunt Carol has the Hayley-Reed Bible.
and maybe Uncle Bert might know where the Cook-Reed Bible is stored.

This question is not on my list of questions; but......
Do all families have Family Bibles? and where do you get them?

Wow wow I just remember your parents have not received a Family Bible. It was very customary for the bride and grooms families to converse before a wedding and decide who would give the Family Bible to the couple. It was always considered an important "wedding gift". In our family; it was Aunt Josephine who usually bestowed the Family Bible on the new couple. The custom now is for a couple to go to a department store and register for their gifts but before department registries (at least in my family); the families would share information and compile a wedding gift list making sure the new couple had all that was needed to start a new home. The Family Bible was always on that list.

Thank you for your answers. Can we have more interviews at another time?

yes of course.

End of Interview

This interview merely scratched the surface of this young person's interest in her family history.

What was important about this interview was the preparation of questions. Having questions already written out for the young genealogist helps the flow of the interview.

Short but mind provoking answers are best when answering a young person's questions. The questions will then lead the young person to where they are interested in learning more.

Rather going into long stories of ancestors; a date to fill a binder full of stories might help the interview to proceed. Plus I really thought it would boost her grade on the project.

When asked about a remembered ancestor keeping it simple is best. Such as I remember being with grandpa in the garden as a child, or grandmother taking me to church. Since this young interviewer is very hair-do conscience I chose to speak about Granny's long hair.

Regarding family heirlooms; good question! It was not important to elaborate as to the fact many heirlooms had been pawned off long ago....lol etc. But it gave me an opportunity to document important information that if my interviewer decided to read in detail her genealogy in the future --- she might find a path to a primary source of information.

This question led to an inquiry that again spoke about family culture and traditions. Where do people get Family Bibles? But it also rambled my own mind on a terrible slip of neglect!!

Needless to say I have just added to my Christmas list! Now to just compile a list of next generation families with no Family Bible!!! A Family Historian's work is never done!!!

Regarding my highschool friend starting genealogy...

Thanks everyone for the comments on my recent post of working with a new genealogist. I met my friend last week end at the Santa Clara Seminar. That was a very well organized seminar. The speakers were fantastic! What was fun was the references to software. Unlike many seminar I visit, every time a software program was mentioned , the speaker would say something to the affect, "oh you are all from the silicon valley, so of course you know this program."

There was a silent auction. My friend had bid on the Roots Magic Software package, but alas was out bid. Being a Roots Magic fanatic myself, I am going to suggest that he does purchase this fantastic program!

It was fun meeting up with my high school friend. When I genealogies in Northern California I seldom travel solo. So he had an opportunity to meet my son, daughter in law and four grandchildren. (lol). My son had been working on a car before he picked me up from the conference, so my friend met my son in an old colored t-shirt!!

I will keep you posted; my friends roots are from Goshen Indiana. The Santa Clara Seminar was heavily directed to individual county, state research. Great sites were introduced at the seminar to state and county data collection. Several states/counties had government officials dedicated to helping people access their records. This was great to see. Example Shelby county, Tennessee.

So I am going to learn some information on Indiana records. working state to state I am gaining a wealth of information that I hope can be of use to help others find their American roots. The first step sometimes to getting back to their homeland roots.

An example of systematically reconstructing a families migration trail across America resulted in some very surprise findings for a society member. Recently I was working with a gentleman with the surname PRICE. With that surname the gentleman had assumed English roots. Wow only four generations back and we discovered PRICE was a derivative of a very German name! From there we were able to find his ancestors nationalization and transport papers from Germany. Therefore the state to state approach has been useful for some when researching roots.

I find helping others with genealogy has widen my knowledge and skills as a genealogist. To that end I am working on a very small but hopefully useful project at the Chula Vista Library. I am hoping to help some of our 100 plus members focus and continue on their own journeys. We have an excellent but under utilized library system. In my humble opinion.

I recently presented some data on the Kansas data collection system. I am hoping to "zero" in on other states of interest. Randy Seaver recently did a members survey of our membership. Hopefully he can help me understand some of the interest of the group.

I would like to start a kind of "Birds of a Feather" study group where we can really focus on the areas of interest and make suggestions to our society book purchaser books that will truly aid people in their research.

So how do I tie up the loose ends of this seemingly rambling blog? I am going to investigate if we have Indiana roots in our membership and gather those birds of a feather and do some in depth research in that area. Gaining working knowledge of individual states has honed my research skills in a very beneficial manner.

Focusing and deeper understanding of records benefits my capacity to truly aid my fellow society member in a deeper research. What is problematic for me on that subject is the redundant over hashing of "OLD" genealogy information. I liken it to lectures on databases using Excel 1998. There is just so much more out there!

Oh and did I happen to mention ROOTSMAGIC!!!!

Bean Counters Everywhere ----- Unite!!!!!

This was so funny I had to blog about it!!! I recently prepared a genealogy research presentation that included a section on the State of Kansas census records. I found this 1895 disclaimer, it could have been written by someone named RUTH!!! Although some could find this disclaimer very annoying-----I think it is absolutely hilarious!! No account for people's sense of humor!!!




Special Note

To quote from the 1895-96 biennial report of the State Board of Agriculture, which conducted the census:

Owing to delay by the legislature in the appropriation of funds for printing the necessary blanks for use of assessors, these could not be delivered to them until two or three weeks later than the law requires assessment and enumeration to begin, and this fact resulted in much of the detailed information being hurriedly or carelessly collected, and in some cases entirely omitted.

The assessors of Comanche, Finney, Saline and Seward counties, countenanced by their county commissioners in so doing, used the unfortunate delay as a pretext for refusing to make any enumeration whatever, and the returns from portions of Atchison, Cherokee, Gove, Lyon and Marion counties especially, and various others in some respects and to some extent, are for the same reasons so incomplete as to make their showing, not only for their respective counties but for the state as a whole, very unsatisfactory to this office ...